1. Warning: Captain Obvious suggestion of the day.
Creatine. It still dumbfounds me to think that there are people out there who train on a consistent basis, yet are STILL not taking creatine everyday (and yes, this includes you as well ladies). It's the most researched supplement in human history and it's efficacy has been proven time and time again.
It's safe
It works
It's NOT steroids
You do not need to do a loading phase.
Just take 5 grams of creatine monohydrate (no need to buy the expensive brands) per day in your pre/post training shake or with a high(er) carb meal and that's that. Here's a great article written by Cassandra Forsythe and Jen Heath titled "Creatine for Women."
2. Take your shoes off when you deadlift. I usually see an instant increase in the amount of weight someone can pull when they take their shoes off. Why? Well for starters, by taking your shoes off you're now .5-1.0 inches closer to the ground, which is .5-1.0 LESS distance the bar has to travel. Secondly, by taking your shoes off you're now able to pull through your heels, and as a result recruit more of your glutes and hamstrings to help out. Thirdly, people will automatically think you're badass cause you're training with no shoes on. Unless of course your feet smell like you've been walking through a sewer all day, then that's definitely not cool.
3. Glute Activation. If your glutes don't fire, the hamstrings and lower back have to do more work when you squat or deadlift. Performing some simple glute activation techniques beforehand will undoubtedly enable you to handle more weight because you will now have more muscle fibers "turned on" to help with the movement. The more muscle fibers and motor units that are turned on, the more weight you will be able to lift.
4. Cut your volume. If you haven't been making any progress in the gym for an extended period of time, it may be time to deload or cutback on your training volume. I've said this on numerous occasions, but FATIGUE WILL ALWAYS MASK ONE's FITNESS. A great analogy I like to use is one that I got from my good friend Eric Cressey. Assume we find your one rep max on the bench press. Now I have you go out and run 10 miles. Do you think after running 10 miles, that you will be able to even come close to your one rep max again? More is NOT better.
5. Rotate Movements. For intermediate and advanced trainees, most would bode will by rotating their main movements more. Try to alternate your squat, deadlift, and bench movements every 1-2 weeks. In doing so, you will keep the body guessing and maybe more importantly, keep your body fresh.
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5 comments:
Regarding the taking off shoes tip, isn't that just a quick fix rather than developing actual strength, like wearing a bench shirt to get bigger benches? Shouldn't we strive to increase our ROM for deadlifts during training(like snatch grip off a platform)? Also, what about people with abnormal foot mechanics such as flat footers, low arches that collapse, etc. Wouldn't they need the extra support during pulling?
I love your blog. You have some great insights.
When you refer to rotating the big movements do you refer to something like the following:
Weeks 1-2: dumbbell bench press, front squats and snatch grip rack pulls
Week 2-4: barbell bench press, back squats and trap bar deadlifts.
Have you found when people return to a movement they have to spend some relearning the movement and build their poundages back up?
Thanks,
Marc
Goi,
Sure it's a quick fix, but if you're able to use more weight...won't that result in increased strength?
I definitely incorporate deadlifts from a deficit, just a tool in the toolbox and does have a great carry over to actual conventional deadlifts.
Regarding the abnormal foot mechanics: we tend to have all our athletes pull with shoes off, but there are certainly exceptions to the norm (if that is the case, then we atleast have them wear Nike Frees or Chuck Taylors).
Marc,
Generally speaking, I am referring to squat variations, deadlift variations, and bench variations.
Week #1-2: Floor Press
Week #3-4: 2-board press
I am not so much referring to alternating your entire program every 2 weeks. If you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail me tgentilcore18@yahoo.com
Hi Mike,
Great post to increase strength and like to add avoid holding your breath during strength exercises as it may cause changes in blood pressure. Breathe in slowly through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth.
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